City of Guelph

City of Guelph

Keep #Guelph Niska Bridge Open? Or Close it?

Today council will decide the fate of the Niska Road bridge. Keep it open with a new 2 lane bridge? Close it? Or perhaps there may be other ideas to consider?

There has been a lot of talk about this bridge by the adjoining community, our staff, the media and even comments from across the city.

It’s a mix of comments I’ve received. For a few months it had been mostly correspondence to keep it one lane only or close it. Yet many within the community, who are now hearing about the possibly of the bridge closing for the first time, are sending correspondence to keep it open and go with 2 lanes.

There are approximately 4600 vehicles that cross that bridge on a daily basis already.

We’ll see what happens. Meeting starts at 6pm tonight at city hall. Here’s the report.

We use the bridge on a daily basis to commute to work and to access the trails on the west side. We understand that the existing bridge was intended as a temporary measure. It needs to be replaced with a two lane bridge to ensure safe access by vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. Closing it is not a practical option. Other traffic control measures can be implemented to reduce speeds and to address other concerns. Environmental impacts can be mitigated through following applicable regulations and best construction practices. The City is responsible for ensuring that its residents have safe infrastructure. Keep and upgrade the bridge!